Carroll's energy key ingredient in rebuilding USC

John Supinie

Sunday

Dec 30, 2007 at 12:01 AMDec 30, 2007 at 1:20 AM

The goals are simple for Southern Cal football coach Pete Carroll. They're also scary. "All we want to do around here is win forever,'' Carroll said a month ago after USC defeated cross-town rival UCLA to earn its fourth trip to the Rose Bowl in the last five years.

The goals are simple for Southern Cal football coach Pete Carroll. They're also scary.

"All we want to do around here is win forever,'' Carroll said a month ago after USC defeated cross-town rival UCLA to earn its fourth trip to the Rose Bowl in the last five years.

While the Trojans have a long legacy for college football -- they're making a record 32nd appearance in the Rose Bowl -- USC is as powerful as its ever been under Carroll, an NFL head coaching reject whose outgoing personality and endless energy play well in the college game. A 56-year-old surfer originally from San Francisco, Carroll is anything but laid back.

He loaded up on talent, hired aggressive play-callers at offensive coordinator and returned a faded program to power. Under Carroll, the Trojans entered the preseason as the overwhelming No. 1. After winning the Pac-10 Conference title for the sixth straight season to set another record, No. 6 USC (10-2) meets No. 13 Illinois (9-3) in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day (4 p.m., ABC).

"We set our sights extremely high in everything we do,'' Carroll said. "We want to do things better than anybody else in everything that we do. That thought has guided us and pushed us farther down the road to find a competitive edge in everything: recruiting, teaching, strength and conditioning and the way we practice.''

After Carroll compiled a 33-31 record in four years as an NFL head coach (three with the New England Patriots, one with the New York Jets), he is 75-14 in his seventh year as USC coach. The Trojans won the AP national title in 2003 and the BCS national championship the following season. In 2005, the Trojans lost in the BCS title game to Texas.

Carroll's personality is the key ingredient in rebuilding USC. His energy drives the Trojans, players and assistant coaches said, and Carroll's ability to relate to players and build relationships allowed him to stock the roster with future NFL talent.

"You spend 5 minutes with the guy, and you can see how moms and dads want their kids to play for him,'' said ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit. "Players want to be around him. He has genuine energy. He has a way of relating to players that's as good as any I've seen in the country.''

Like Illinois coach Ron Zook, Carroll doesn't shy away from recruiting trips. In fact, he appears to enjoy the interaction, and Carroll's office is a place where his players like to visit.

"When I was playing, it was sometimes difficult to relate to a head coach,'' said USC offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian. "He's sitting up in his office. It's often hard to get there and talk to him. Pete is the opposite.

"His door is wide open. He plays music these guys listen to. He's less of a father figure, which a lot of coaches are, and he's more like an older brother. They can talk to him. In the end, they want to play hard for him.''

The enthusiasm and interaction from Carroll appear genuine.

"When he does it, he really means it,'' Herbstreit said. "Players can see through (faking). They see him and say, 'I want to be around his aura and be part of it.''

The Trojans are stocked at quarterback and running back, although USC doesn't have the breakaway threat at wide receiver as in years past. A defensive specialist during his days as an assistant, Carroll has a defense ranked No. 2 in the country.

Taking over a program that had gone stale, Carroll posted a 6-6 record in his first season in 2001. The following year, USC won its last eight games and the first of the six Pac-10 titles.

Carroll admits to a "terrible mistake'' when he left quarterback John David Booty in the game despite a broken finger in a shocking loss to Stanford in October. After losing to Oregon, USC won its last four games to return to Pasadena. The save might have been as good as any for Carroll.

"We were never down or out, even though people thought so,'' Booty said. "That's just what is going on on the outside. On the inside, with us, we were fine. Coach Carroll would never let that happen.''

Carroll doesn't have losing in the long-range plan.

John Supinie can be reached at Johnsupinie@aol.com. For more coverage, read Illini Talk blog at www.sj-r.com and www.pjstar.com.

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